Surface metal raceway



1951 c. E. BARNES, sR., ETAL 2,569,916.

SURFACE METAL RACEWAY Filed Sept. 30, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 INVENTORSC'fiarlesE Bar-11 es Sr. 1 Charles .E. Barnes Jr.

2, 1951 c. E. BARNES. sR., ET AL 2,569,916

SURFACE METAL RACEWAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1949 INVENTORSCkarles E. Berna: $12 By Charleslifiarner:

Patented Oct. 2, 1951 Philadelphia, Pa assignors to United States RubberCompany, New York, N. Y., a'corpora1= tion of New Jersey ApplicationSeptember 30, 1949', Serial No. 118,966

A 4 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to a surface metal raceway of acceptedarchitectural design to be located in the angle formed by the wall andceiling, for carrying wires from entrance of service, throughout theraceway, for connection with radiant heating panels just above orcontiguous thereto, which with other or non-heating building board ofany suitable type and thickness forms the ceiling.

Another object of our invention is to construct a surface metal racewayof a type that will efiiciently function as a retainer and armor forelectric wires of various sizes for use in supplying current todifferent types of appliances and/or to the radiant heating panels.-

Another object of our invention is to make the wires within the racewayaccessible for easy installation and inspection and will be most readilyunderstood by accompanying detail drawing.

This objective can be more fully appreciated by noting it makes possiblethe removal of a standard four inch metal box formerly used on the topside of the panel as a cover for terminal posts and in a position whichdid not permit of access except from floor above. A solderlessconnection is made through an insulated connector block, between thewires within the raceway and those from the panels in parallelarrangement, which meets with the requirements of the NationalElectrical Code and the Underwriters Laboratories.

The present application is closely related to the Tidd et al.application Serial No. 134,949, filed December 24, 1949, for RadiantHeating Installation, and to the Cassidy et al. application Serial No.184,872, filed September 14, 1950, for Radiant Heating Installation,both of which applications relate to a raceway and heating panel,whereas the present application covers a raceway per se.

To provide for the connector blocks entrance into the raceway and totake care of irregularity of walls we provide a knockout opening ofsubstantially greater size than the block to permit of movability orshiftability both forward and backward and sidewise to avoid on the jobfitting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a raceway toretain and shield electric conductors, which raceway is completelyclosed except for knockout openings properly spaced longitudinally toreceive connecting blocks projecting from a surface of one or moreheating panels.

The complete raceway is composed of two 2. parts, viz, a body into whichentrance is made with any approved flexible or rigid conduit eitherthrough top or rear; and a closure which can be of screwed-on or snap-ontype, but designed to serve as trim or molding. The wirecarrying bodymember of the raceway is erected (in new construction) by attaching itto the studding or other structural part of the building through the useof screws, nails or other suitable fastening means.

Another object of our invention is to construct the raceway so as toform a plaster ground for the wall as shown in illustration.

Another object of this invention is to construct the raceway so that itforms a plaster stop on the ceiling where plaster is used over theheating panels as a ceiling finish, although paper, paint or fabric maybe used and terminated at this juncture.

A further object of the invention i to provide a raceway of suchconfiguration that it can be set in front of the plaster line withouttearing the walls apart to install the same in a building beingrenovated and then adding a wood molding strip just beneath the raceway,for finishing purposes. 7

A still further object of the invention is to provide a closure memberof any suitable design detachably mounted on the raceway body to provideeasy accessibility to the conductors therein.

A still further object of this invention is to utilize the corner formedbetween a side wall and the ceiling of an apartment as a cove formounting the raceway.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of thedetails of construction and combination of elements hereinafter setforth and then designated by the claims. I

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how and illustrating an installation of ourraceway- Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view ofthe raceway and associated elements of an apartment, with the edge ofthe heating panel left in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the chan nel portion of the racewaybody showing an angular plaster ground.

Fig. 4 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a 3 different mode ofmounting the raceway and showing another type of closure attachingmeans.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the raceway per se depicting a furthermodified form of closure attaching means.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the raceway and a connectorblock showing the relation of the latter to a knock-out opening in thetop wall of the raceway.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a metal trim attached to a walland ceiling of an apartment to carry out the ornamental design of theraceway about the apartment but which trim does not house electricalconnectors.

Fig. 8 is a face view of an end stop or closure.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view thereof, on a reduced scale, showing theattaching tab bent to one side.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a piece of the raceway illustrating themanner of attaching right and left hand end stops or closures.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line I l l l of-Fig. 2, on a further reducedscale, with portions broken away, to illustrate the general relationbetween a raceway section and contiguous heating panels and theirconnector blocks.

In carrying out our invention as herein embodied [5 represents thesurface metal raceway body fashioned from strips of metal of anydesirable length and including a back wall 16, a top wall I! atsubstantially right angles to said back wall and approximately the samewidth as the height of said back wall. From the lower edge of the backwall 16 projects a forwardly extending flat plaster ground wall [3either at substantially right angles to said back wall or cantedoutwardly and downwardly relative to said back wall 16, as indicated atl8a,'Fig. 3. The width of said plaster ground wall is approximatelyequal to the thickness of the plaster on a finished building wall or astrip of molding. Along the forward edge of the plaster ground wall is ashort upturned flange l9 terminating in a curved resilient lip 28 ofsuitable and desirable configuration which may vary slightly as shown inFigs. 2, 4 and 5. Along the forward edge of the top wall I! is a shortpendant flange or plaster stop 2| having an inturned hook 22 along itsentire lower edge. In the top wall I! are a number of large or oversizedholes 23 which maybe actually formed as holes or the boundaries thereofmay be weakened and the enclosed metal knocked out as desired, thisbeing a common method of providing openings for electrical connectionsand known in the trade as knock-outs. These holes are oversized relativeto connector blocks 24 "depending from the underside of the radiantheating panels 25 and said holes are at predetermined locations toaccommodate said connector blocks which are definitely located inrelation to two side edges 26 and 21 and the forward edge 28 of aheating panel. Said connector blocks are also located a definitedistance apart on a heating panel and when said raceway is mounted, theoversized openings will be completely closed by the connector blocks andsurrounding panel surface.

The formation of the raceway body 15, as above described, provides achannel 29 to receive and retain the electrical conductors 30 leadingfrom the entrance of the service system into the apartment and saidconductors 30 connect the conductors from the flexible or rigid conduitentering the raceway, either through'the'top or rear thereof, to'theconnectorblocks 24"within the raceway. Also an access opening isprovided the entire length of the raceway of a height equal to thedistance between the attaching lip 20 and the hook formation 22 which isto be normally closed by the door or closure 32 of preselected or anydesired configuration, preferably having certain curvilinear formations,in styles suitable for anyand all personal preferences and to matchother ornamental effects of the apartment type and the usual trim.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the closure 32 extends from the location ofthe hook formation 22 to the plasterstop wall [8 or the bottom of theflange IS in front of the latter and from the lower edge of said closureis formed the inwardly and upwardly projecting toe 33 to underlie thelip 28 and the longitudinal edge of said toe is turned back upon itselfas at 34, Fig. 2, to form a nose, or said longitudinal edge of the toemay be curved as shown at Ma, Fig. 4, for the same purpose. The toe'33is approximately the same height as the upturned flange I9 which saidtoe snugly contacts iii-parallelism therewith. "-Whenever necessary ordesirable to remove the closure, a relatively sharp instrument or tool,-such as a screw-driver, is inserted between the toe iii-and the flangei0, along the-lower edge, and the nose 3-1 34a pried loose from theresilient lip 20. The construction of the closure illustrated in Fig.3is such that it extends=from the-hook formation 22 only to the region ofthe lip'20 and-the lower longitudinal edge of the closure hasthetroughlike nose 34b formed thereon to engage underneath of the outerportion of the lip 20. In every case the upper edge of the'closureispro'vided with an outwardly down' turned companion'hook formation 35adapted to engage the h'ook"formation 22 from inside of the'raceway'body. The hook formations may be more or less-open as will beapparent by comparison of the showings in Figs. 2 and 5 with thatof Fig.4.

After the radiant heating panels havebeen properly installed, eitherdirectly against any suitable parts of the framework of an apartment,such as studding 36 and joists 31, Fig. '2, as when being installed in anew structure, or against-a plastered ceiling'38 anda plaster wall 39,Fig.4, the raceway body 15 is placed underneath of the heating panelsand against theapartment wall in the cove produced at themeetingjolnt-between said apartment wall and the ceiling. including theheating panels'and the framework and any plaster, and secured inposition by fastening means 40 which can-be manipulated through the openfront of the'raceway body.

As the connector blocks are infixed'positions on the heating panels, theraceway body must be adjusted to cause the holes 23 in the top wail ofsaid raceway body to register with saldoomnector blocks and this isreadily 'possible because of the oversize holes 23which-permitsthe-raceway body to be shifted slightly longitudinally ortransversely and, ifnecessaryya part of the raceway body, especiallywhere it approaches another wall, can be cut away. The heating-panels,so far as is known, are made in standard widths of four feet and variouslengths. The connector blocks are located'a-definite distance from theside edges and, what wechoose to term,the'forward edge, therefore as anexample, if the'raceways are made eight feet long'there will'befourholes 23 "formed in the topwall o'fthebody properly spaced so that theircenters aretlie same as the centers of the connector-blocks. If,

on the other hand, the raceways are manufactured in lengths of four feeteach there will be only two holes in each raceway body.

Since the safety laws, rules, etc., make it necessary to completelyenclose the electrical conductors within the raceway, the ends of thoseportions housing the conductors are closed or separated from adjacentstructure by end stops or closures 4|. Each of these is in the form ofplate having the configuration of the complete raceway in cross section,Figs. 8, 9 and 10, with a tab 42 projecting from the rear edge thereofand a notch 43 in said rear edge above and below the adjacent edges ofsaid tab whereby it may be bent in either of two opposite directionsalong the dotted line 44 to provide for right or left hand attachment.The bend line is offset and inside of the rear boundary edge of the tabin order to project inside of the raceway body and lie against the innersurface of the back wall of said body. Suitable fastening devices (notshown) are projected through apertures 45 in the tab and into the backwall of the raceway body for securing each end stop or closure in place.

As it generally is unnecessary to run a raceway completely about anapartment we provide a trim 46, Fig. 7, also produced from metal andhaving the same contour as the front and bot-- tom of the completeraceway, that is, the same contour as the front closure or cover 32 andany visible parts of the raceway body such as the plaster ground wall [8and the pendant flange 2! and, sometimes, the upstanding flange l9. Thistrim is placed in endwise abutting relation to the raceway where the twoare against the same side wall or at the necessary angle when theraceway and trim are placed against contiguous side walls which are atan angle to one another. For attaching the trim 46 to a side wall andceiling, said trim is provided with out-turned flanges 41 through whichfastening means 48 are projected at suitable intervals and driven intothe side wall and ceiling comprised of either the framework or thefinished walls.

When, after the heating panels are installed, there still is anyuncovered ceiling foundation, either in the form of the buildingframework or old original plastered ceiling, said uncovered portion hasnon-heating panels of building board assembled thereon to provide aneven surface. Finally the panels are covered with plaster 49, or anequivalent coat, such as paint, paper or fabric ceiling finish. In allcases the plaster stop or pendant flange 2! of the raceway and thesimilar portion of the trim profile serve as the terminating lines ofthe panel covering.

Upon making an original installation, as shown in Fig. 2, the side wallplaster 50 is put on the framework and the upper edge of said plasterterminates under and in contact with the ground wall is of the racewayand similar portions of the trim whenever the latter is used. If theinstallation is being made in an old building structure directly againstthe original plastered side wall, Fig. 4, and it is undesirable to addanother plaster coat, a suitable molding 5| can be secured to the wallplaster 39 in contact with the ground wall I8 of the raceway and similarportion of the trim.

After the heating panels, raceway and trim have been installed and allelectrical connections easily and quickly completed the front closure isplaced in position and the conductors will be adequately shielded toreduce to a minimum any 6 likelihood of short circuits and possibleresulting damage. Further, the installation is practical ly out of thereach of persons occupying the apartment under ordinary conditions.

From the foregoing it will be apparent thatcomplete installation is madefrom the inside of the apartment permitting use of the invention in alltypes of structures, whether single or multistoried.

Of course we do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction herein shown and described as these may be varied withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit ofour invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and useful is:

1. A raceway consisting of a body member comprising a back wall, aforwardly projecting top wall, a fiat pendant flange along the forwardedge of said top wall, said pendant flange havinga vertical widthsufficient to function as a plaster stop, a flat bottom wall projectingforwardly from the lower edge of the back wall and of a width sufflcientto establish the thickness of a plastered wall contiguous said bottomwall whereby the latter functions as a plaster ground, a flat verticalflange projecting upwardly from the forward edge of the bottom wall witha relatively sharp corner, said vertical flange, bottom wall and thelower portion of the back wall forming a substantially rectangularchannel to hold electric wires, an inturned hook along the entire freeedge of said pendant flange, a curved lip along the entire free edge ofsaid upturned vertical flange, and a closure having means along both ofits longitudinal edges engaging with said hook and lip and detachablysecuring said closure to the body member.

2. The structure according to claim 1 in com-- bination with an endclosure plate of the same. configuration as the entire cross sectionalarea. of the body member and disposed at either end of said body memberand resting against and completely shutting off the respective endthereof and a bendable tab projecting from an edge of. said end closureplate inside the perimeterthereof and extending into and fastened to awalli of the body member.

3. A raceway consisting of a body member comprising a back wall, aforwardly projecting top wall, a flat pendant flange along the forwardedge of said top wall, said pendant flange having a vertical widthsufficient to function as a plaster stop, a flat bottom wall projectingforwardly from the lower edge of the back wall and of a width suflicientto establish the thickness of a plastered wall contiguous said bottomwall whereby the latter functions as a plaster ground, a flat verticalflange projecting upwardly from the forward edge of the bottom wall witha relatively sharp corner, said vertical flange, bottom wall and thelower portion of the back wall forming a substantially rectangularchannel to hold electric wires, an inturned hook along the longitudinalfree edge of the pendant flange, a resilient out-turned curved lipprojecting from the longitudinal free edge of the upturned verticalflange, and a closure having an outwardly downturned hook on the upperlongitudinal edge interengaging with the hook on the pendant flange andsaid closure further provided with a nose along the lower longitudinaledge thereof sprung under the resilient lip and detachably securing theclosure to the body member.

4. A raceway consisting of a body member coma back wall, a forwardlyprojecting top walLa flat pendant flange along the forward edge of. saidtop wall, said pendant flange having a vertical width sufficient tofunction as a plaster stop, a flat bottom wall projecting forwardly fromthe lower edge of the back wall and of a width suflicient to establishthe thickness of a plastered wall contiguous said bottom wall wherebythe latter functions as a plaster ground, a flat vertical flangeprojecting upwardly from the forward edge of the bottom wall with arelatively sharp corner, said vertical flange, bottom wall and the lowerportion of the'back wall forming a substantially rectangular channel tohold electric wires, an inturned hook along the longitudinal free edgeof the pendant flange, a resilient outturned curved lip projecting fromthe longitudinal free edge of the upturned vertical flange, a 010- sure,an outwardly down-turned hook formation on the upper longitudinal edgeof the closure engaging the hook on the pendant flange, an upwardlyprojecting toe along the lower longitudinal edge of said closure anddisposed against the upturned vertical flange of the body member, and anose along the longitudinal free edge of said toe sprung under theresilient lip and detachably securing said closure to the body memberwhich may be removed by the insertion of a tool between the toe andupturned vertical flange.-

CHARLES E. BARNES, SR. CHARLES E. BARNES, J R;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patenti UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 690,479 Storm Jan.7, 1902 800,053 Ayres Sept. 19, 1905 1,825,010 Murphy Sept. 29, 1931 51,878,335 Shull Sept. 20, 1932 1,914,317 Wilson June 13, 1933 1,950,634Siebenlist Mar. 13, 1934 2,018,293 Williams et al Oct. 22, 19352,036,054 Knapp Mar. 31, 1936 20 2,038,115 Keller Apr. 21, 19362,132,400 Curren Oct. 11, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5309,093 Great Britain Apr. 5, 1929 695,748 Germany Sept. 2, 1940 225,310Switzerland Apr. 16, 1943

